Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: We Got an Egg!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

We Got an Egg!

We are no longer egg-less around here. Our chickens can now be described as free-ranging, rather than free-loading. Er, at least one of them can.

We're just not sure which one.

Whatever, we're just thrilled to get an egg!

We had worried that it would be April before we saw an egg. Our chickens are now 6 months old, old enough to start laying, but it's October and getting darker and colder by the day. Who knew eggs were seasonal? But they are, and we've learned that chickens often don't lay eggs in the winter unless the coop is artificially lit to simulate summer daylight hours. Which we're not doing.

So we did not have high hopes for eggs this season, but last weekend, just to be sure, I put a blown-out egg into the coop, just in case, to nudge the hens into using the nest boxes for their intended purpose, which was not as a receptacle for chicken poop, just in case they were wondering.

This morning my kids mentioned that they thought Scrambles, our smartest and most precocious hen, was ready to lay. They said they felt an egg in her, whatever that means, and that she was acting weird, whatever that means. But we were late for the bus, and nobody bothered checking the coop.

This afternoon my son and I thought of it, and ran out to check. There, lying in one of the nest boxes, was a little, tiny, light-brown egg. It was like a miracle!

You...you...FEED the hens -- things like kitchen scraps and dry grains and worms and gravel and other things you have no use for -- and finally they produce this incredible little construction, this miracle of nature. That you can EAT. Or make omelettes or cake or souffle or pancakes or pasta or poached egg salads with. The incredible. Edible. Egg.

Now the only question -- other than life's vast and general mystery -- is -- whose egg is it? If it's Scrambles, why is it brown? She is an Easter Egger, which means she should be laying blue or green eggs.

(Here she is eating a fig -- their favorite food -- while the other hens space out just inches away from her. It's always like that. ) She did everything earlier than they did, and is light years smarter than the others (climbs the ladder, recognizes the cats as a threat and chases them away, yearns for the other side of the fence...). So we just assumed she'd be the first to start laying.

And yet, the egg is brown. That means it was one of the Brahmas (the other four hens, the blonde bodalicious ones). Which is encouraging, as maybe the rest will start laying soon too.

Anyway, whatever! Who are we to question a miracle? Look how little and sweet!

It feels like magic.

1 comment:

Lisa said...: Yay! Hopefully you'll get more eggs!; October 7, 2009 at 9:19 PM

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The Mothership Method

(Or, how to sit down for dinner with your family without completely losing your mind)

It would be great if kids AND parents wanted boiled chicken and baby carrots every night for dinner. But, too bad, we picky parents want spicy, exotic, fun foods, and our kids want, well, sorta lame foods.
Here's the solution: break it down. Serve the dish deconstructed, and let everyone put their own dish together at the table. Sort of like tapas, or smorgasbord, or tacos. Or how in some parts of China you get a bowl of rice, and everything else is in the middle of the table and you take what you want for your own little bowl of rice. That way everyone gets to eat what they want, parents don't have to nag their kids, and kids get to feels some ownership over their meals. Plus, kids get exposed to the look and taste of the foods you hope they will one day love. But it's not just tacos. You'll be amazed at what can be served with the Mothership Method.

Ten Tips to Get Through Dinner Without Having A Nervous Breakdown

1. Accept That Kids Are Picky. No need to freak out on your cooking ability, or look at your kids like there is something wrong with them. It's called "neo-phobia", and it's just how they are, especially from ages 3-6.

2. Serve Meals Broken Down. Even grown-up meals like coconut curry or linguine with clams can be served in their elements, making them more appealing to kids. Grown ups can assemble their own jumble of deliciousness at their own plate while kids take on the pared-down elements.

3. Push if it Works, But Don't Nag If It Doesn't. Some kids are okay with being expected to taste everything on their plate. Others aren't. I think it's okay to push kids -- but not if you're turning dinner into a battlefield.

4. Suggest a Smell. Smelling a new food is easier than tasting it, and can sometimes provide a kid with the information needed to take that scary first bite. But don't confine smelling to new foods. Smell favorites, too, and help them develop their sense of smell by making a game out of it.

5. Don't Ask "Do You Like It?" Instead, try, "What does this remind you of?" or, "Would your cousins like this?" or, "Does this taste salty or sweet?". Asking if they like it or not gives kids too much power and ends the conversation. Besides, we don't care if they like it! We just want them to keep tasting it until it is familiar.

6. Don't Get Frustrated. Imagine being in Taiwan, or Nairobi, or Rome for the first time. Would you eat everything on the local menu? New foods are scary and gross. Our kids need time to learn about the foods that we eat.

7. No SubstitutionsThis is family dinner, not a diner. You, in all your wisdom, have provided foods that are healthy and delicious and appropriate for your children. There is something on the table for them to eat. Period.

8. No Snacks Before Dinner. This can be the hardest with our hectic schedules and hungry kids. But children who come to the table hungry are more likely to eat than cause trouble.

9. Put Peer Pressure To Your Advantage. School children are more likely to accept new foods if the alpha girls in their group accept them. Swap healthy food ideas on playdates.

10. Involve Your Kids In Cooking, Shopping, and Gardening. The more experience kids have handling and preparing a variety of foods, the more likely they are to eventually accept the foods. (But don't get upset if they help you make a complicated wonderful meal, and then refuse to eat it.)